Moxley Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Moxley Covered Bridge
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | Moxley Rd. across the First Branch White River, Chelsea, Vermont |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1886 |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000244 |
| Added to NRHP | September 10, 1974 |
The Moxley Covered Bridge is a really old and special bridge in southern Chelsea, Vermont. It carries Moxley Road over the First Branch of the White River. This bridge was built a long time ago, around 1886-1887. It's the only covered bridge from the 1800s still standing in Chelsea! Because it's so important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Discover the Moxley Covered Bridge
The Moxley Covered Bridge is located in a pretty spot in southern Chelsea. It's about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the main village center. You can find it on Moxley Road, just a short distance east of Vermont Route 110. Covered bridges are special because they have walls and a roof, which helps protect the wooden parts from weather like rain and snow. This makes them last much longer!
What Makes This Bridge Unique?
This bridge is built using a special design called a multiple kingpost truss. Imagine a series of strong triangles that help the bridge hold up weight. The ends of the bridge, called abutments, are made from stacked stones and concrete. These abutments act like strong foundations, holding the bridge firmly in place. The southern abutment even sits on a large rock!
The Moxley Covered Bridge has a metal roof to keep it dry. Its outside walls are made of vertical wooden boards. These boards also extend a little bit inside the openings where cars drive through. An interesting fact about this bridge is that its main support beams are slightly offset. This gives the bridge a unique shape, like a parallelogram (a four-sided shape where opposite sides are parallel). To make the bridge even stronger, a special laminated beam (a beam made of several layers of wood glued together) was bolted underneath the floor.
The bridge is about 57 feet (17 meters) long. It is 17 feet (5 meters) wide, but the part where cars drive is about 15 feet (4.5 meters) wide. This means it's a one-lane bridge, so cars have to take turns crossing!
A Glimpse into History
The Moxley Covered Bridge was built around 1886 or 1887. It's really important because it's the only covered bridge left in Chelsea that was built in the 19th century. This makes it a rare and valuable piece of history! It's also part of a group of similar covered bridges found nearby, especially in the neighboring town of Tunbridge. These bridges show us how people built things a long time ago and how they protected their structures from the weather.
